Valve action of gas-operated cigarette lighter

ABSTRACT

In a cigarette-lighter of the type usually comprising a cap enclosing a valve actuating lever projecting therefrom, this lever is dispensed with and its function transferred to the cap itself, formed with an inwardly bent pressing for engagement with the valve stem, acting as a burner, the cap being pivoted to trunnion-forming bosses moulded integrally with the head of the lighter.

[ Feb. 19, 1974 United States Patent [191 Tricot VALVE ACTION OF GAS-OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER Primary ExaminerCarroll B. Dority, Jr

[76] Inventor: Jean Gaston Tricot, 55 rue du Val Attorney Agent or EMF-Eric waters at dOsne, Saint-Maurice, France Oct. 19, 1971 [22] Filed:

ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 190,605

In a cigarette-lighter of the type usually comprising a cap enclosing a valve actuating lever projecting therefrom, this lever is dispensed with and its function transferred to the cap itself, formed with an inwardly bent pressing for engagement with the valve stem, act- France 70.38254 [51] Int. F2311 25/00 ing as a burner, the cap being pivoted to trunnion- [58] Field of Search............ 431/150, 276, 277, 131 forming bosses moulded integrally with the head of the lighter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 3,601,517 8/1971 Rosenthal........................... 431/277 VALVE ACTION OF GAS-OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to gas-operated cigarette lighters of the type wherein a valve is adapted to be opened by pivoting a lever housed under a fixed cap and projecting from the rear portion of said cap, the projecting lever portion being engaged by the users finger and pressed after the same finger has actuated the flint wheel and escaped therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a main object of the present invention to simplify the manufacture, and therefore reduce the cost, of cigarette lighters of this type, this constituting a particularly advantageous purpose considering the fact that in most instances these lighters are extremely cheap and mostly of the lost" type.

To this end, the cigarette lighter according to this invention is characterized in that the aforesaid valve opening lever is dispensed with and its function transferred to the cap proper, by mounting this cap on a pivot pin carried by the head of the lighter body.

According to a preferred arrangement, the valve stem and the cap are operatively interconnected through an inwardly bent tongue resulting from the pressing of the top of said cap for forming the aperture, permitting the passage of the flame, said tongue being engaged under a projecting portion of the valve stem.

According to a preferred embodiment the pivotal mounting of the cap is obtained by molding the fixed head of the ligher body with a pair of integral bosses over which perforated side faces of the cap are engaged.

Alternately, another pair of bosses may also be molded integrally with thehead to constitute other trunnions for rotatably supporting the serrated flint wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An exemplary embodiment of this invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical axial section, taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2, showing the improved valve action of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view from above of the cigarettelighter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A head 1 of injection-moled plastic material is fitted in fluid-tight relationship onto a reservoir 2 constituting the body of the lighter. This head 1 comprises a well from from the bottom of which emerges a wick 3, this well also containing in a fluid-tight manner a valve guide 4 and valve seat 5 en gageable by a valve member 6 carried by a hollow stem 7 whose upper and outer end constitutes a burner, this valve member 6 being constantly urged to its seated position by a spring 8 surrounding the valve stem 7. The length of the flame can be adjusted by horizontally moving a lever 9 solid with the valve guide 4 so as to adjustably tighten the upper end of wick 3 through tapered surfaces 10.

The head 1 also carries a serrated flint wheel 11 and a pyrophoric flint 12 urged by a spring 13 for engagement with said wheel.

The upper portion of said head 1 is covered by a cap or cover 14.

According to this invention, the cap 14 is pivotally mounted on the head 1 and an aperture 15, permitting the passage of the flame from the burner, is formed by pressing and bending a lug 16 from the head to the shape shown in FIG. 1, the pressing operation forming simultaneously a notch 17 in the inner end of said lug, the side arms of this notch being engaged, on either side of the upper portion of said valve stem or burner 7 and under a spring washer l8 engaging with its inner teeth a groove, formed on said valve stem or burner 7.

According to the specific form of embodiment illustrated in the drawing the side walls of cap 14 are provided with aligned holes engaged by trunnion-forming bosses 19 molded integrally with lugs 20 carried by said head 1. Thus, the cap 14 is pivoted to the head 1 and any movement thereof in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 1) is attended by the tilting of the cap in the clockwise direction (as illustrated) and therefore by an upward movement of the valve stem; thus, the unseated valve permits the escape of gas from the reservoir 2.

Also according to this form of embodiment another pair of bosses 21 are molded integrally with the lugs 20 to serve as trunnions engaged directly in a bore in the flint wheel 11.

The engagement both of said flint wheel on trunnions 21 and of said cap 14 on said trunnions 19 is permitted by the inherent flexibility of lugs 20.

Of course, and as clearly apparent from the above description, this invention should not be construed as being strictly limited by the single embodiment given herein by way of exemple, since various modifications will readily occur to those conversant with the art without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A hand lighter comprising a body having a reservoir for containing a combustible substance in liquid state under pressure, a head fixed on said body, a burner carried by said head and including a valve controlling the outlet of the combustible substance in gaseous form from the reservoir, a flint wheel rotatably mounted on said head, a flint chamber in said head for support of a flint in proximity to said flint wheel, said valve including a valve stem, and a spring acting on said valve stem to close the valve, a cover pivotably mounted on said ,head and enclosing the same, said head including first integral bosses on which said cover is pivotably supported and second integral bosses on which said flint wheel is rotatably mounted, and means on said cover operatively connecting the cover to said stem to move the stem against the opposition of the spring when the cover is pivoted, said cover having an operative rear portion adjacent the flint wheel for being pressed by a finger of a user after turning the flint wheel to produce said pivoted movement of the cover.

2. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head comprises upstanding lugs with which said first and second bosses are integral.

3. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting the cover to the stem comprises 2. lug inwardly bent from the cover to form an aperture therein to provide access to a flame at said burner, said stem including a projecting portion extending upwardly from the head to a position below said aperture, said lug engaging said projecting portion of the stem, said flint wheel extending through said cover.

4. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said valve includes a valve guide fixed in said head and having an outlet orifice for the gaseous combustible substance, said valve stem being slidable in said valve guide to selectively open and close said outlet orifice, said spring being mounted in said guide and acting between said stem and guide.

pivoted and the valve is opened. 

1. A hand lighter comprising a body having a reservoir for containing a combustible substance in liquid state under pressure, a head fixed on said body, a burner carried by said head and including a valve controlling the outlet of the combustible substance in gaseous form from the reservoir, a flint wheel rotatably mounted on said head, a flint chamber in said head for support of a flint in proximity to said flint wheel, said valve including a valve stem, and a spring acting on said valve stem to close the valve, a cover pivotably mounted on said head and enclosing the same, said head including first integral bosses on which said cover is pivotably supported and second integral bosses on which said flint wheel is rotatably mounted, and means on said cover operatively connecting the cover to said stem to move the stem against the opposition of the spring when the cover is pivoted, said cover having an operative rear portion adjacent the flint wheel for being pressed by a finger of a user after turning the flint wheel to produce said pivoted movement of the cover.
 2. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head comprises upstanding lugs with which said first and second bosses are integral.
 3. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting the cover to the stem comprises a lug inwardly bent from the cover to form an aperture therein to provide access to a flame at said burner, said stem including a projecting portion extending upwardly from the head to a position below said aperture, said lug engaging said projecting portion of the stem, said flint wheel extending through said cover.
 4. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said valve includes a valve guide fixed in said head and having an outlet orifice for the gaseous combustible substance, said valve stem being slidable in said valve guide to selectively open and close said outlet orifice, said spring being mounted in said guide and acting between said stem and guide.
 5. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover is provided with aligned holes in which said first bosses are received.
 6. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flint wheel has a bore therethrough, said second bosses extending inwardly into said bosses.
 7. A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rear pOrtion of the cover has a lower edge which is substantially flush with the head when the valve is closed, said rear portion being depressed slightly when the cover is pivoted and the valve is opened. 